We stopped fighting. She removed her helm, letting her thick, long, pure white hair fall freely. Her crimson fire-black eyes met mine, sharp and intense.
"Did you have fun, Venya?" I asked. "Our power grows with every passing instant, yet it's been a long time since either of us could truly defeat—or kill—the other. Don't you think, wife?"
She smiled. "It has been a while. But I wouldn't worry. Eventually, the balance between us will shift, and there will come moments when either of us can prevail over the other."
I summoned fire in my hands, watching the flames twist and shift at my will. With a thought, I closed my hands, and the fire vanished.
Venya was behind me, her arms wrapping around me in a quiet embrace. She removed my helm, letting my long, pure thick white hair fall freely. My eyes, the same crimson fire-black as hers, met the dim light, reflecting the intensity we both carried.
My device chimed I touched my ear as my secretary's voice came through. Venya was still behind me, her arms loosely wrapped around my waist. I shifted slightly, returning the embrace as I listened.
"I see," I replied calmly. "Good. Make sure the dinner is prepared for six this evening."
The call ended.
Not long after, I was already on my way. I sat inside the vehicle as it moved smoothly through the city, Nara driving in silence. I gazed out of the window, watching towering buildings glide past, their surfaces reflecting streams of flying vehicles weaving through the sky. Traffic lights hovered in the air, shifting colours with perfect precision.
A massive hologram caught my attention—idols dancing across the skyline, vibrant and flawless. I recognised them instantly.
One of them was Nara's daughter.
Her group was called Sweet Dreamers. They were still new, but their popularity was rising at an astonishing pace. Their faces were everywhere now—advertisements, broadcasts, towering projections above the streets.
I watched for a moment, then looked away, my thoughts already moving on.
"You must be proud, Nara. Your daughter's group is doing well for themselves."
"I am very proud, yes," he replied, "but it would not have reached so far if it were not for Mariko promoting her with her company."
I arrived first.
I sat alone, slowly drinking my beverage while I waited. Eventually, Nelson and Venasa entered together, both dressed in immaculate suits. They took their seats across from me, composed and polite, every movement carefully measured.
We waited.
Alexia arrived shortly after. She was wearing a suit as well, though her jacket rested loosely over her shoulders instead of being worn properly. She took her seat without comment, and only then did the conversation begin.
We spoke of cooperation. Of partnerships. Of the future between our companies.
On the surface, everything was proceeding smoothly.
But I was already watching them.
I knew Venasa and Nelson were planning my death. It was only a matter of timing and opportunity.
Alexia, however, had already made her choice.
She had turned away from Unity.
And even now, as she sat there listening and speaking as if nothing were wrong, she was already deciding who she would spare… and who she would let die.
Venasa and Nelson wouldn't rush it. They would take their time before killing me, waiting for the perfect moment to act. My death would benefit them too much to be careless with it.
They were loyal to Unity—loyal to the idea that the Eternal Royal Family had to be erased permanently. Only then could they reclaim the lands they believed were stolen from them and expand their own power in the process.
Killing me wasn't just revenge.
It was strategy.
"Excuse me," I said calmly. "I'm going to the restroom. Please, continue without me."
I walked toward the facilities, entering as though I intended to use them.
I didn't.
I stopped in front of the mirror, studying my reflection for a moment. A faint smile crossed my face.
When I stepped back outside, Alexia was already there, waiting.
She smiled when she saw me.
"Hello, Eternal Imperial Highness," she said softly. "May we speak alone for a moment? Somewhere private—before they begin to wonder where we are."
I nodded.
We moved to a quiet room deeper within the building and sat across from one another. For a moment, neither of us spoke. We simply watched each other, measuring intent.
Then she broke the silence.
"May I call you by your name?"
"Of course," I replied.
She held my gaze, her voice steady.
"Ren," she said, meeting my gaze. "I'm offering you everything my company has created. All of our research. All of our weapons. Everything developed within my warfare division—you already know that."
She paused, then spoke more plainly.
"I won't hide it from you. I am a member of Unity. Not just a member… one of its leaders."
Her eyes didn't waver.
"But I see no reason to remain with them any longer. I have my own reasons. My own interests now."
She leaned forward slightly.
"And if I must prove my loyalty to the Empire, I will. I'm willing to tell you anything you want to know—their plans, their movements, everything. Nothing will be kept from you."
There was no hesitation in her eyes.
"Fine," I said at last. "Then kill your half‑brother, Nelson Ironside. Not yet—he still has value. So does Venasa."
She looked at me closely.
"So you suspected us from the beginning," she said quietly.
I didn't answer.
She studied my expression for a moment, then gave a faint smile of understanding.
"Very well. My elder half‑brother and I never got along anyway," she said. "That part will be easy for me."
Her gaze sharpened.
"What else do you want me to do?"
I leaned back slightly.
"If I decide, I'll tell you. Until then, you can think for yourself. Decide what you believe will prove your loyalty to the Empire."
She nodded slowly, already calculating.
We both left the private room.
"Wait here," I said. "I'll go first. You come after."
She looked at me, then nodded. She touched the device to her ear, speaking quietly to someone as I left. I couldn't hear her words, but I didn't need to.
Eventually, Alexia returned and took her seat. She drank calmly, her composure unshaken.
Nelson's eyes followed her, his tone sharp. "Where were you, Alexia? Why did it take so long to come back?"
"Other business," she replied smoothly. "I'm here now. So… what's the problem?"
"Never mind, then," Nelson said flatly.
Venasa glanced at Alexia, her expression unreadable, but suspicion lingered in her eyes. She's hiding something, she thought. The question was—what?
Nelson was thinking the same, only with far less restraint. The two of them had never gotten along. In truth, their relationship had long since curdled into mutual disdain—perhaps even hatred. Alexia felt it too, even if she hid it better than he did.
The conversation moved on, but the unease remained, hanging heavily in the air.
I felt their emotions shift. Heard their thoughts as clearly as if they had spoken them aloud.
Venasa's mind was calm on the surface, but beneath it ran calculation.
Everything is going well with Ren… for now. But I will be the one to kill him. For Unity. No one will take that from me.
Nelson's thoughts were far less restrained.
What are you planning, Alexia? If you betray Unity, I'll be the one to kill you myself.
Then there was Alexia.
Her thoughts moved carefully, layered with ambition.
I'll need another way to prove my loyalty, she considered. I'll wait until he gives the order to kill Nelson.
Her focus shifted, deeper, more dangerous.
The Eternal Super Soldier Program… my private armies… all of it granted through Ren's generosity. But it can be improved. Enhanced.
A pause.
And I must be the first to undergo it once it is perfected.
Her ambition sharpened.
If I succeed, the Warfare family could become the next addition to the royal bloodlines of the Empire. A faster path to power than reclaiming the one already in my veins.
I listened to it all in silence.
They were all plotting.
They just didn't realise how far ahead I already was.
We went our separate ways.
I was back at the estate, sitting on my throne.
Even as I rested, I remained within my domain—Blackdragon Hold. I sat surrounded by flames of shifting colours, watching Emperor Shadow sleep on his own throne, dormant.
We were both clad in our Blackdragon armour,
I leaned on my clenched fist, still watching him slumber.
Mariko, clad in her own armour and helm, sat across my lap, her countless Kitsune tails draped around us. I reached out and touched one—it was soft, with a pleasant scent. She chuckled, leaning against me a little more.
"I'm going to offer some advice, Ren," she said. "You already have Alexia and Nelson, who hate each other with a passion. But what about Venasa and Nelson? Or Alexia and Venasa? You should start creating some discourse between them."
"I'm going to get myself involved in this as well," Mariko said. "Maybe I'll help with that privately with those two and try to create some sort of discourse."
"Go ahead," I replied calmly. "I don't mind either way. It'll work for us all, whatever decision you make, Mariko. I trust you completely."
I closed my eyes in the domain, observing what Alexia was doing.
Blood splattered across the walls, and screams pierced the air. Someone shouted, "How could you betray us, leader? We trusted you! Why, Unity? We'll find out eventually, you—traitor!"
Before they could finish, she struck, killing them instantly while others fled in panic.
She wielded a plasma blade and plasma shield, deflecting attacks with precise skill. As more enemies approached, she sheathed her blade and drew a plasma firearm, firing with ruthless accuracy.
Her expression shifted, eyes cold and unyielding, as she slaughtered the comrades she had once led in Unity.
Of course, this was only a portion of them. She didn't kill all—only those she no longer considered useful, those who lacked purpose, or those she deemed untrustworthy by her own standards.
Her secretary, also a member of Unity, stood beside her, assisting in the executions.
Those she had convinced to betray Unity joined in as well, helping her strike down the rest. Meanwhile, the remaining faithful to Unity looked on in shock and fear, powerless as their ranks crumbled before them.
When the slaughter was over, she removed her helm. Her thick, long, pure white-blonde hair fell freely to her waist. Her eyes, glinting a pure ocean blue, swept over the bloodied scene.
She raised her voice, sharp and commanding, carrying across the ruined hall to those who remained.
"We will tell the others that this was the work of the Blackdragon Legion," she said coldly. "And that there are traitors among our ranks. Someone must have told them where one of our bases was."
Her gaze hardened as it swept over them.
"Understand this clearly. If you remain loyal to me, you will be safe. More than that—you will gain a foothold within the Empire itself. My plan is simple. I will become a member of the Eternal Royal Families. And when I do, the Warfare Family will stand as the eleventh Eternal House."
She took a step forward, her presence crushing.
"Stay with me, and you will be rewarded beyond measure. Do you understand?"
A moment of silence followed—then, as one, they answered:
"We understand, Alexia Warfare."
I stopped spying on Alexia, but kept my eyes closed as I turned my perception toward Nelson.
I sensed him in an intimate moment with Venasa, though mercifully it ended before anything more occurred. Thank God, I thought. I had no desire to witness that.
As they lay in bed, Venasa spoke quietly."Do you think Alexia was strange tonight? I've felt it for a while, but tonight… even more so."
Nelson glanced at her, frowning."Yes. I think she's plotting something. I know it, I can feel it—but I don't have the evidence, the proof… damn it. That annoying woman."